Nwaba Will Join Team USA for Jim Thorpe Cup

Jul 12, 2011

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Senior Barbara Nwaba has been selected as a member of the USA National Track and Field team that will compete in the Jim Thorpe Cup in Chula Vista, Calif., August 13-14. The Thorpe Cup is an international track and field competition between the United States and Germany. Nwaba will be among seven women and men who compete in the decathlon and heptathlon. The overall winning team of the combined events will be based on the top five men's and top three women's scores.

Nwaba's score of 5,733, which she earned at the 2011 U.S. Outdoor National Championships, qualified her to submit her score for competition.

"I'm really excited to be a part of a national team," she said. "When I was getting fitted for USA gear after my meet at Nationals it seemed almost too good to be true. I feel confident that I can go out and put up another good score if I stay focused and really try to work on staying calm and doing what I'm capable of."

Earlier this year Nwaba competed in the NCAA indoor season and earned All-American honors in the pentathlon. She redshirted the 2011 outdoor season at UCSB and competed unattached in several heptathlon meets instead.